Lawn-mower



No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. LUUD'.

LAWN MOWER.

No. 410,366. Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

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(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

. W. A. LOUD.

LAWN MOWER Patented Sept.. 3, 1889.

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w13 I SHOM/nekt@ Y @mi/tween@ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

, W. A.. LOUD.

LAWN MOWER.

No. 410,366. l Patented sept. s, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALDO A. LOUD, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

L`AwN-MowER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,366, datedSeptember 3, 1889.

Application filed September 25, 1888.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, WVALDO A. LOUD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mowers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in lawn-mowers, many featuresthereof being especially applicable to the class of lawn-mowersparticularly known as the roller-mower5 and it consists in the variousconstructions and combinations of parts, all substantially as willhereinafter more fully appear, and be set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which;

Figure l is a plan view of the present improved lawn-mower of the rollerclass, the handle thereof being shown as broken oif. Fig. l is ahorizontal sectional view in detail, illustrating a construction to behereinafter referred to. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lawn-mower.Fig. 3 is a face view of one of the forward trucks and its bearings, andFig. 3 is a view of the truck-washer. Fig. 4. is a section thereof online at 4. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the under side of the stationarycutter-bar and blade, and Fig. G is a cross-sectional view of one of theblades of the rotate ing cutter and a portion of its holdingfarm. Fig. 7is a view of the inside'of" one of the cheek or side plates of themachineframe, showing the bearing therein of and for the shaft of therotating cutter.

Two parallel side or cheek plates A A2, braced by the rods a and b,constitute the frame and supporting parts of the machine. Atraction-roller O, comprising a number of traction-Wheels d, is mountedon a shaft 20, having a bearing in the said cheek-plates, and inclosedwithin the one A thereof is a spur-gear 22, fixed on one end of saidshaft. The cutter-shaft 23, carrying the revolving shearingcutter-blades f, islocated in advance of said traction-roller and hasbearings g formed in and supported by said cheek-plates at their innersides, said shaft at one end extending within the chambered body of theone cheek-plate A and provided with a pinion Serial No. 286,390. (Nomodel.)

25, which engages therewith through any suitable pawl-and-ratchetdevice, so that on the said pinion being rotated in one direction by thegear 22 through the intermediate gear 26, also mounted in the chamberedbody of the cheek-plate A, the said cutter-shaft will be rapidlyrotated, and yet all so that on the rotation of the pinion in theopposite direction through the running of the roller in the back ward orreverse direction no rotation Will be imparted to the cutter-shaft, aswell known. The said chambered cheek-plate A is to be inclosed by asuitable plate screwed to the outer side thereof.

The trucks or rollers D D are supported in advance of the revolvingcutter in vertical planes about coincident to those of the cheekplatesand outside of the ends of the cutterblades, being held from the saidcheek-plates by the forwardly-projecting bracket-arms 27 which, by theirinner ends, are to be attached to the sides of said cheek-plates, eitherrigidly or adjustably thereon. The rear bracerod a extends between theupwardly-extend ing projections 23 of the cheek-plates, each of saidprojections having an inwardly-extending hub 29 let in or chambered fromits outer side, as at 3,0, and provided with a transverse bore 32, andthe said brace-rod is, near each end, formed of reduced diameter, as at33, th-e outwardly-extending portions beyond the shoulders 34 beingscrew-threaded, and the said ends are entered Within the bores of thecheek-piece extensions,with the saidshoulders 34 brought to an abutmentagainst the inner ends of the hubs 29, and nuts 35 are screwed onto thesaid reduced end portions of the brace-rod against the outer Walls ofthe chamber 30, constraining the parts in their rigid relations toconstitute the frame, as aforesaid; and it will be observed that the endportions 33 of the said brace-rod extend outwardly beyond the said nut35 and serve to form the pivotal studs on which the' forward forked Aendportions 36 of the longitudinal handle F engage and to" permit aswinging action thereof in vertical planes. The said forked end portions3Q lof the longitudinal handle F are each at their inner extremitiesbifurcated to form a longitudinal slot 37 and to embrace each projectingstud 33, and

IOO

when the end portions of the forked handle are adjusted in place thelatches 38, pivoted thereon, are swung down to also engage by therecesses 39 therein the said studs 33 and prevent any endwise movementof the handle in relation to its pivotal line, but to permit of anup-and-down swing of the end portions of said handle from said pivot.The end portions of the handle-forks 36 are held against spreadingoutwardly by the webs 40, forme-d on the cheek-piece projections, andlocated with their inner walls against the outer side and parallel'withthe line of swing of said forks. The downward swing of the saidhandle-bar is limited by the shoulders forming abutments 4l, againstwhich the lower edges of said end portions 3G may come to a rest, andthere is also a web having an abutment 42 formed on the said projections28, and, as shown, located below the pivotal point in the circular lineof travel of each end of the fork below its said pivot, whereby, onswinging the handle by its outer end higher than its. normal positionfor use, the said end portions 36 of the said forks will bear againstsaid abutments, and on a still further raising of the outer end of saidhandle the rear end of the machine-frame and the traction-roller may bebodily lifted from the ground, the whole machine at such time resting onthe forward trucks D D, and may be rolled thereon abruptly inr a lateral.direction to turn the machine around or change its course withouttearing up or gouging out the turf, as might occur under such movementsof the machine when the same was in bearing on the ground 'by itsforward trucks and also the wheels of the traction-roller.

The stationary cutter, consisting of the cutter-bar H and thecutter-blade 54, adj ustably secured thereon, is located, as usual,below and rearward from the revolving cutter and is mounted in bearingsformed in or supported on the cheek-plates, which are capable ofpermitting the usual rocking adjustment of the said cutter-bar, so thatits edge maybe presented at the desired proximity to the circular travelof the revolving cutter. The stationary cutter-blade 54 is, asparticularly shown in Fig. 5, secured on its cutter-bar H by theset-screws 55, passing through the slots 56, and back of the rear edgeof said blade set-screws 57 57 are entered with a screw engagementthrough lugs 58, formed on the said bar H, and bear by their inner endsagainst the rear edge of the cutter blade. By unloosening thelset-screws 55 and turning the set-screws 57 the cutter-blade may beadjusted forward to compensate for any grinding away thereof or of theblades of the revolving cutter, and may be, under the engagement ofset-screws shown, set forward farther at one end-portion tharnat theother. The revolving cutter-shaft is by each end mounted in bearings onthe inner sidesA of the cheek-plates, as particularly shown in Fig. 7,

and which consist of the web 59, forming a horizontal socket whichcomprises two semicircular chambers 60 and G2, open to each other, one62 however being somewhat smaller than the other and forming by itssemicircular wall one-half of the shaft-bearing, and there are opposinglateral extension- `recesses 63 at'the junction of the walls of the saidsemicircular recesses, as shown. Vithin the larger semicircular chamber60 is located a separable and substantially semiannular bearing-block64, having its inner concave surface, when in place, in continuation ofthe circular contour of the inner face of said smaller chamber 62, thethickness of .said blook being insufficient to entirely fill the spaceof the larger chamber 60, and the said block terminates at each end inopposing and outwardly-extending lugs 65, which enter the lateralchamber-recesses 63 63. Through the opposing walls of one vof saidrecesses two set-screws 67 67 are passed, bearing by their inner ends onthe opposite sides of one of the lugs 65, and the other lug bears by itsone side on one wall of the other of said recesses, a set-screw 68passing through its opposite wall and against the lug. By the saidconstruction of the bearing for each end of the cutter-shaft, byturningone of the pair of setscrews inwardly and theother one outwardly, oneend lug of lthe adjustable semi-annular bearing-block may be eitherraised or lowered, moving with the otherend lug as its fulcrum,

and the wear on the shaft may be `compensated as found necessary by thedescribed adjustable bearings at either or both ends.V

Each spiral blade fof the, revolving cutter is' formed in two lengthwisesections 69 and 70, the one 69, constituting the cu tter-st-rip proper,being made comparatively thin and of steel of a superior quality, whilethe backing-up secg tion of the blade may be of a metal of inferiorquality and of less expense, and thesuperposed sections 69 7 Olare,without being welded by the rivets 72, passing through them and theholder-arms 73, extending radially from vthe hub, held together and uponthe said holder-arm.

The forward trucks D D are preferably of aless diameter than that ofthetraction-roller and are to be of a compara-i tively narrow tread, andare shown as consisting of the central web body 75, having anarrow-tread rim 7G, and at and from each side of such rim a series ofribs 77 77 extend for short distances in lines parallel with the axis ofthe truck-wheel, and thus by the said open-work construction sufficienttractional surface is given tothe so-formed wheel-s D as truck-rollersand yet without being of such an amount as to materially crowd down thegrass, and moreover it will be observed that the said trucks being insubstantially the planes of the cheek-plates and outside of the swath tobe made by the. cutters they are of a most advantageous character.

Eachbracket-arm 27, rigidly supportedv from the check-plates, has at itsouter end a laterroo IIO

ally-projecting boss 7 8, of a length to extend through the hub 79 ofthe truck. The axial hole in the truck-hub 79 is of a greater dialneterthan the outer diameter of the bracketboss 78, and between them isinterposed a sleeve 80, its inner borefitting over the boss and theouter periphery fitting within the hub; but it will be observed theinner periphery of the sleeve is eccentric with its outer periphery sothat by the turning of the sleeve the center of rotation of the truckmay be raised or lowered and thus the trucks may be adjusted to maintainthe machine level. The boss of the bracket is axially bored, and againstthe end'of theY boss and of the sleeve is placed a washer 82, a screw 83passing through the perforation thereof and projecting through the saidbored boss and beyond the opposite face of the bracket on which the bossis integrally formed, receiving a nut- 84 for confining the parts intheir described relations, and the sleeve, when adjusted, immovable onthe boss. The said Washer overlies the circular line of contact betweenthe sleeve and hole in the truckhub,and, as will be seen in Figs. 3 and4, prevents the entrance of dust thereat into the duct 85, formed in thehub-hole parallel to its axis and leading to the annular oilgroove 86 inthe inner periphery of the hub. The Washer has a hole 87 through it atthe same distance from its center that the duct 85 in the hub is fromthe axis thereof, so that when the hole 87 and duct are coincident oilmay be introduced through said hole to the said duct.

WhatI claim as my invention isl. The combination, with the cheek-platesA A2, provided with the chambered faces 30 and bored hubs 29, of thebrace-rod a, shouldered near each end, its end portions outside of saidshoulders being screw-threaded, and the said brace-rod disposed betweensaid cheek-plates abutting by its shoulders against the inner ends ofsaid hubs, its outer ends passing outwardly through and beyond saidhubs, and also the nuts which are screwed on said ends of the brace-rodand disposed within the said chambered faces of the cheekplates, thesaid ends of the projecting bracerod forming pivotal studs for theengagement of the handle-forks, substantially as shown and described.

2. In alawn-mower having opposing cl1eekplates, the combination, withthe stationary cutter-bar and cutter-blade and the revolving cutter andits shaft, of the cheekplate bearings for the revolving cutter-shaft,each consisting of the web 59, surrounding the chamber, comprising twosemicircles of different areas and the opposing laterally-extendingrecesses 63, the semi-annular bearing-block 64, having the end lugs 65,loosely disposed in the larger semicircular portion of the said chamberand in the said recesses 63, the set-screws 67 67, screwing through theopposing Walls of one of the said recesses and against one of the lugs65, and a single setscrew 68, screwing through one wall of the otherrecess and against the top of the other of said lugs 65, substantiallyas shown and described.

3. In a lawn-mower having opposing cheekplates, the combination, withthe truck-holder arms supported from said cheek-pieces, each providedwith the hollow boss 78, of the truck having the bore of its hub ofgreater diameter than that of the said boss and provided with theannular oil-groove 86 and the duct 85, leading thereto from the end ofthe hub, the bushing-sleeve fitting on said boss and within saidtruck-hub, the inner and outer circular peripheries thereof beingeccentric to each other, the washer covering the end of the boss, thesleeve, and truck-hub, and the bolt 83, passing through said boss andWasher, resting by its head against the outer face thereof, and thenut84, all substantially as e i shown,land for the purposes described.

WALDO A. LOUD. Witnesses:

WM. L. BELLOWs, G. M. CHAMBERLAIN.

